


Stop the Clock

by Blondtaire



Category: CrankGameplays - Fandom, Unus Annus - Fandom, markiplier - Fandom
Genre: Bears, Gen, Tragedy/Comedy, Unus Annus
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-11-15
Updated: 2020-11-15
Packaged: 2021-03-09 21:42:02
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,101
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27573271
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Blondtaire/pseuds/Blondtaire
Summary: Norbert Moses woke up in his room.This event would have been unremarkable were it not for the fact that Norbert Moses didn’t have a room. In fact, he didn’t have a physical form that was capable of waking up. He had merely been a project, created to last for a day and then deleted from existence once his purpose had been fulfilled.---Norbert Moses has been given a second chance at life, and his mysterious resurrectors have given him a new purpose: to travel through the realm of Memento Mori, find his creators, and stop the clock. Can he and Amy brave the many cryptids and obstacles of Memento Mori in time to save Unus and Annus? And what exactly are his resurrectors' intentions?
Kudos: 15





	Stop the Clock

Norbert Moses woke up in his room.

This event would have been unremarkable were it not for the fact that Norbert Moses didn’t have a room. In fact, he didn’t have a physical form that was capable of waking up. He had merely been a project, created to last for a day and then deleted from existence once his purpose had been fulfilled.

It was for this reason that Norbert Moses found his waking peculiar. It was even more peculiar that he had the consciousness to find anything peculiar in the first place. His eyes opened, which told him that he had eyes. And he was in a very typical-looking bedroom, which he surmised must have been his, because he was lying down on his bed. And he knew for a fact that it was his bed, even if he wasn’t sure how he knew.

He scratched the vague stubble on his chin, astounded to find that it itched. He thought that he had been erased forever, yet here he was, very much existing. It was amazing. It was terrifying. How could this be?

Although Norbert’s mind raced with a thousand emotions, all of them new to him, he hardly had time to ponder on the fact of his existence. What was most important to him at this moment was his gaming PC, which sat upon his desk in the corner of his room. If he existed, that might mean his channel still existed, too -- and if that were the case, he’d have to get back on that YouTube grind as fast as possible. From what he remembered, now that he had a memory, he’d managed to get hundreds of thousands of subscribers, and he wanted to give them his very best. His existential crisis could wait.

Once the PC had booted up, Norbert made a beeline to YouTube, checked for his account -- and found nothing.

He groaned in disappointment and slumped back in his gaming chair. He had really been deleted, after all. That meant that his purpose was over, and somehow, he had outlived it.

Now that he no longer had the excitement of reclaiming his channel to distract him, Norbert was forced to consider the nature of his situation. If he had outlived his purpose, maybe that meant he had a new one. Maybe Unus and Annus had decided to revive him for another project. Yes, that must be it.

But if that was the case, where were Unus and Annus? Wouldn’t they be here to greet him and tell him about their new purpose for him?

Or perhaps they were here. Norbert looked at the door to his bedroom. If he was in his room, then an entire house must lie beyond that door. Norbert could imagine Unus and Annus waiting for him in the kitchen, breakfast freshly cooked. Hopefully using standard breakfast-making utensils this time; Norbert would prefer not to be served his food on a paddle. But even if they were up to something so unsavory as that, there was something charming about the idea, too. The mere thought of seeing his fathers again compelled Norbert to the door.

He eagerly turned the knob and pushed the door open in one fell swoop, his newly-beating heart drumming with all of the possibilities of what may lie before him.

And then he saw it. Nothing.

Just...nothing. Even the light from his room refused to bleed into the darkness before him. Norbert hesitantly put a hand through the threshold, and he saw his arm plunge into a permeating darkness. With a jolt, he pulled his hand back.

“Uh...hey, guys?”

No response. Norbert cleared his throat. Perhaps if he tried one of his father’s natural calls, the other would respond to him. “Uuuunus! Uuuunus!” Nothing. “Aaaannus! Aaaannus?” Still nothing. He’d have to pull out the big guns. He took a deep breath, then began to chant. “Unus, Annus! Unus, Annus! Unus, Annus! UNUS, A--”

“Who goes there?”

_ “...” _

The calm, mysterious voice stopped Norbert in his tracks. He looked around; no one was with him in his room, and beyond the room he still saw nothing but darkness. “Uh. It’s Norbert Moses.”

“Ah, Mr. Moses. You’re finally awake.” This voice held a familiar quality to it. It almost sounded like...no. Not quite. Something was off about it. “You must be quite confused.”

_ “...” _

“Well, yeah,” Norbert replied. “And this sure isn’t helping. Who are you?”

“I am someone your father knows quite well.”

_ “...” _

Norbert raised an eyebrow. “Okay, and who’s your friend?”

There was a pause before the voice answered back. There was clear confusion in his tone, though the voice maintained composure. “How do you know I’m not the only one here?”

“He keeps putting ellipses in italics.”

“What? He hasn’t said a word.”

“Yeah, well, he’s got a lot of ellipses for someone who’s got nothing to say,” said Norbert.

_ “...” _

“What? Blank, is -- is that a bit?”

_ “...” _

“Stop doing that. We’re not doing bits, and we’re definitely not doing meta bits. This is serious.”

Norbert tapped his foot impatiently. “Look, where are Unus and Annus? I’ve got to know why they gave me a second chance.”

The voice cleared his throat. “Unus and Annus didn’t give you a second chance. I did.”

“What? Why?”

“I have a mission for you. You see, Unus Annus is nearly over. Your fathers are about to disappear very soon. Now, your father Annus and I -- we’re not on the best terms. That said, I think it would be a real shame if they left us so soon. If only it weren’t for that abysmal clock with its merciless ticking. Now, I would stop the clock myself, but I am banned from the realm of Memento Mori where this clock resides.

“You, on the other hand, are one of Unus and Annus’s prized creations. The gates to Memento Mori will gladly open for you. I need you to enter your fathers’ realm, find them, and stop the clock.”

Norbert’s brows furrowed. “My dads...are dying?”

“Yes. And unless you can stop the clock, Mr. Moses, they will perish. Forever.”

“Well, I can’t just let--” Norbert paused. He hadn’t been alive for very long, but that didn’t make him naive. “Wait. You said my dad’s not on good terms with you. How do I know I can trust you?”

A light appeared beyond Norbert’s room. It was dim, but compared to the darkness surrounding it, it was blinding. Norbert squinted, and as his eyes adjusted to the sudden light, he saw a figure standing beneath it. First a nice pair of shoes, then dress pants, then a dark suit and tie over a stark white dress shirt.

And above that...Annus’s face. No, not quite. Something was still off about it. The man’s eyes were blacked out, and all around him was a faint aura of distortion. But Norbert couldn’t deny the resemblance between this strange man and his father.

“Would you trust...your father?”

Norbert tried to sputter out a reply, but he was having difficulty thinking of what to say. “You...how do you know Annus?”

“In a way, he and I are brothers,” said the man in the suit. “You may address me as Dark. It’s a pleasure to meet you face-to-face, Mr. Moses, although I’m sorry it has to be under such difficult circumstances.”

“Dark,” Norbert repeated in awe. He had never heard of this man before, being as young and fleeting as he was. Yet this man bore his father’s face, and Norbert felt as though he had no choice but to trust the man. “What do I have to do?”

“Come with me. We’ll explain on the way to the gates.”

Norbert took half a step out of his room, but he stopped when his foot was bathed in darkness and jolted back once more. How was he going to go anywhere if he couldn’t see himself?

Dark seemed to realize this dilemma at the same moment, and he turned away to call on someone. “Blank, turn on the light.”

With the flick of a switch, the darkness outside of Norbert Moses’ room vanished. It was replaced with a rather mundane living room. Standing by the light switch was a man who bore Unus’s face, but with the same blacked-out eyes. Norbert assumed this man must be Blank. What was most chilling about this Unus lookalike was how all of the boundless joy and energy his father exuded was devoid from this copy. He was flat-faced, almost zombie-like in his neutrality.

What was  _ least _ chilling about this Unus lookalike, on the other hand, was his cargo shorts and oversized Hawaiian shirt. Norbert raised an eyebrow, to which Dark sighed.

“We’re riding to Memento Mori by car. Blank took it as an opportunity to get dressed up for the ‘road trip.’ Look, just -- ignore him, okay? We need to get going.”

Dark and Blank’s car, as it turned out, was a white van. Norbert got into the back of it without a second thought. Norbert’s short lifespan didn’t make him naive, but other things certainly did.

With Blank driving and Dark in the shotgun seat, the drive to Memento Mori began. Norbert fidgeted in the back seat, feeling a little awkward despite himself. He was resolved to go on this mission, to do whatever it took to save his fathers...but this was all still very surreal, and Norbert still hadn’t eaten breakfast. Hunger was another new feeling to Norbert, and it was one that he had very little tolerance for.

“So, um…” Norbert cleared his throat. “You gonna explain to me what I’m supposed to do when we get there?”

Dark glanced back at Norbert. “Oh. Yeah, I guess.” He didn’t sound very enthusiastic. “...Actually, we’re not sure exactly what you’ll have to do once you’re in Memento Mori. You’re just going to have to find your way around until you get to the clock.”

“Oh. Um...okay.” There was a long pause. Norbert waited for more explanation, but none came. “So, how do I stop the clock?”

Dark sighed, rubbing his temple. “If I haven’t explained that to you, it means I don’t know.”

“Oh.” Norbert’s brows furrowed.

They rolled on in silence for a few minutes as Norbert tried to process the situation. He really had no idea what he was getting himself into. But he knew that he had to find Unus and Annus. Once when he was with them, he would feel like himself again.

Norbert’s stomach growled. It was such a strange sensation that it jolted him out of his thoughts. Without looking back, Dark handed something to him. It was wrapped in paper. “What’s this?”

“Pickle,” Dark said simply.

Norbert unwrapped the paper, and sure enough, there was a whole pickle waiting for him inside. He took a bite out of it with a loud crunch, relieved to have his hunger attended. The sharp taste of the vegetable eased his doubts for the moment being.

As Norbert crunched away at his pickle, he saw Dark lean against the passenger side window. “So…” Norbert played idly with the paper surrounding the pickle. “...You like country music?”

“No.” That was all Dark had to say on the matter.

“Rock?”

“No.”

“Okay. Uh...so, you know Annus?”

“Yeah.”

“But you’re not on good terms.”

“Nope.”

“Why’s that?”

“None of your business.”

Norbert fell back into silence, taking the last bite from his pickle. The sour vinegar seemed to fill his stomach more than the pickle itself. With no pickle left, he tried to entertain himself with the paper wrappings it had left behind. He scrunched it into a ball, juggling it back and forth until it escaped his grasp and hit Dark in the back of the head.

Dark slowly turned around, glaring at Norbert with narrowed eyes. “Sorry man,” was all Norbert could muster in response, worried about the malice in those endlessly black eyes. With an annoyed scoff, Dark turned back to the front.

Norbert decided to try his luck making conversation with their driver. “So, Blank. Dark here says he’s Annus’s brother. Does that make you related to Unus somehow?”

_ “...” _

“Haha, yeah man...I feel you.” Norbert absolutely did not feel Blank, because Blank said nothing. Norbert made some noises under his breath, looking out the window with his hands tapping against his thighs. Outdoors, he saw nothing but trees. An endless, dull forest.

Then, his saving grace: in the middle of nowhere, a coffee shop. He was surprised when he felt the van slow down leading up to it.

Dark gave Blank a sharp glance. “What are you doing?”

_ “...” _

“We need to get Mr. Moses to his mission. Time is running out.”

_ “...” _

“We can get one later.”

_ “...” _

“Ugh...you know what? Fine. But if they die, it’s on you.”

The van pulled into the parking lot. Dark and Blank both unbuckled their seatbelts. Before getting out of the car, Dark turned his entire body to face Norbert. “Blank wants to get drinks for the road. We’ll be right back out. Stay in here, and whatever you do, don’t let anything in. This place is very dangerous, and your senses may deceive you. You have to stay put. Do you understand?”

Norbert nodded. Blank and Dark both got out of the van, leaving Norbert alone. He thought to himself that a nice mocha would be nice right about now, but it was too late to put in a request. He took a look around through the windows, trying to find anything that would alleviate his anxious boredom.

He counted the trees around him. It seemed like an impossible task. As he focused on two trees in the distance, he could make out something between them -- something small and good. A few of them, actually. Two good boys and a very, very good girl.

“Chica! Henry! Spencer!” Norbert was in absolute awe at the sight of the three precious pups running toward the van. Chica pressed herself up against the window, licking at it like she was trying to greet him. Spencer and Henry were close behind her, practically begging for some love.

Norbert recalled what Dark had told him only a minute prior. For some reason, his warning seemed so far away, now. Still, he should probably wait for Dark and Blank to come back before letting the pups in. Better to be safe than sorry.

But he would also be sorry to let the precious dogs go without some love. How could Norbert resist the temptation of a sweet golden retriever face happy to see him?

Norbert closed his eyes in an attempt to distract himself from the dogs. He could still hear the faint skittering of their claws as they tried to reach the window, and after a few moments of trying to ignore them, he was met with whimpers.

Norbert groaned. “Aw, sweet doggos...maybe Dark will forgive me just this once? I mean, what could be bad about such good dogs?”

With a deep breath, Norbert made up his mind. He reached for the car door and opened it.

All at once, the dogs morphed before his eyes. They grew into despicable shapes, transitioning through monstrous phases before reaching their final forms: bears. Three huge bears. Suddenly, Norbert wished he had paid more attention to Annus’s lessons about what to do in a bear attack. He barely had the wits about him to run.

And run he did. With three massive bears trailing him, Norbert Moses sprinted wildly. He passed numerous layers of trees, not giving a thought to his destination or to the van that he was leaving behind. He scrambled like a mad man, never looking back, the terrifying growls of angry bears deafening him to all other sounds.

Norbert wasn’t sure how long he ran for. All he knew was that those deceptive bears were still behind him. How dare they use the looks of those precious canine friends! And now they were going to use that deception to kill and eat him. Norbert felt like he had been running for miles. He couldn’t keep it up for much longer.

Norbert tripped. He stumbled to the ground, shutting his eyes tight and holding his arms defensively in front of him. This was it. He had been given his new chance at life, and now it was about to be squandered. He braced himself for the brutality of the bears.

But it never came. Norbert braced and braced, yet he remained unharmed. After nearly a minute, he hesitantly opened his eyes.

There were no bears in sight. Instead, Norbert was surrounded by a graveyard. He had tripped on one of many memorial stones, each one baring a name he didn’t recognize. Panicked, Norbert shot up and looked around, taking a close look at each of the graves. There were so many of them, but thankfully, none of them bore the name of Unus or Annus.

One did, however, bare his own name. Norbert knelt down at his gravestone in shock. He supposed it shouldn’t surprise him; he had died shortly after his creation, after all. Still, it was surreal to see his own name etched into the cold rock. He felt the upturned dirt beneath him. What could possibly be lying under there, now that his body was back on the surface?

Norbert had mixed feelings about his death. One on hand, it sucked to have died so quickly, without having ever experienced so many of the world’s joys. On the other hand, he had been content with his death. He had fulfilled his purpose. Unus and Annus had been so proud of him. And he hadn’t really been alive for long enough to understand what he was missing out on.

This made his second chance at life another source of internal conflict for Norbert. Now he had more time, but he didn’t know how much. Now he had a new purpose. Would he still persist after that purpose was over? If so, what would he do with his spare time?

Norbert’s ponderings were cut short by the sound of footsteps. He looked up. In front of him was a young woman in a dual-colored suit, half white and half black. Norbert recognized her immediately. “Is that -- Amy! Amy, is that you?”

Amy stared at him, wide-eyed. She slowly approached but stopped herself a few feet in front of him, as if she wasn’t sure what would happen if she came any closer.

“Norbert Moses? What are you doing back in Memento Mori?”


End file.
